


Poison

by Coykoi89



Series: Inktober 2017 [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Body Horror, Character Death, Day 3, Gen, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Inktober, Other, Suffering, and art can be a written form, because ink is for more than just art, this is definitely not for those who get squeamish easily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 03:37:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12268098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coykoi89/pseuds/Coykoi89
Summary: Inktober:  Day 3 - Poison





	Poison

**Author's Note:**

> So, it's not that bad mostly because I don't see a point in delving into the completely disgusting things the body can do if affected by something like this but it's still gross. My husband read a line from it and looked up at me asking WHY?? He's easily grossed out by some of the depictions mentioned, so yeah. If ya don't like popping zits, you probably shouldn't read the below. Fair warning. This one is relatively short because my last one was way too long and I still have today's to write. I hope you enjoy day 3!

She told him to stay out of that strange plant but Rhett wouldn’t listen to his friend. Penelope tried to tell him that it didn’t look natural, but he was too busy trying to find a way to impress her instead of paying attention like any other typical teenager.  So, he rummaged through the odd colored vines for his friend’s cell phone he took from her playfully but accidentally dropped running from her.  They were reminiscent of a dusky sky with bright blue-purple vines and pinkish leaves that were almost orange.  The next day, he was riding a bus to school and catching grief from all of his friends over the pink blotches coating the itchy spots all over his neck and face.  Calamine lotion wasn’t any fifteen-year-old's ideal accessory, but Rhett didn’t have much of a choice with the itchiness driving him insane.

The mysterious foliage didn’t look like any poison plant they had seen, but that should have made the boy all the more cautious.  Too bad it only enticed Rhett to be all the more foolish and dive in after Penelope’s phone.  On the bus he made a joke that he should have just _bathed_ in it had he known it would cause a rash.  Looking back, they had wished an uncomfortable rash was all it caused.  After two more days, pustules formed all over where it had only been scaly patches previously.  The hard bumps burned when they busted and, apparently, the greenish pus contained the same toxin as the plant because new boils formed where there hadn’t been any prior contact with the leaves.  After another student had been affected by a surprise squirt of a busting zit, they were both quarantined as a bio-hazard.  While doctors in hazmat suits started Rhett on heavy steroids plus every antibiotic known to man, his symptoms worsened.  The kid eventually became one big oozing sore.  He screamed at the slightest touch of a cotton swab making injections an act of torture.  He would cry and scream in pain until his throat was raw and bleeding.  Eventually, his eyes and tongue began to swell and change colors making pills hard to swallow and his vision blurry.  God forbid a pill ended up stuck in the poor boy’s throat.  Just when he thought the pain couldn’t get worse, the burning sensation flared making him constantly feel as if he were being set on fire.  It wasn’t until he watched the nurse clean him that he realized the burning was from his skin being sloughed off in thick, gelatinous layers.  The toxin was causing him to disintegrate faster than any medicine could help and Rhett’s situation looked bleak.

The last thing Penelope remembered of her good friend before they took him away was how optimistic he had been about the situation.  Yet, optimism couldn't bring Rhett the miracle he needed.  As she looked down at the shut casket, Penelope couldn’t help but think, _Why_ _didn’t_ _the_ _poison plant_ _hurt_ me _like_ _that? I_ _touched it, I_ _touched Rhett,_ _and I_ _even_ _touched my_ _phone_ _after it_ _fell in_ _that_ _patch. Why am I_ _not_ _dead?_ _I’m so_ _sorry, Rhett…_

Penelope paid her respects at the funeral and attended the burial.  The service was over and Rhett was no longer in pain.  This was the only thought that rendered any kind of comfort to Penelope.  Once home, the girl curled up at her study desk and sobbed, but she didn’t cry for long.  She looked up after hearing an angry noise with each tear that dropped.  A hissing and whining noise could be heard near her face.  She pulled back and looked down at the wood to see little craters that hadn’t been there just moments ago.  Another stray teardrop fell to the white-washed finish and ate a small hole into the plank.  Suddenly, she reached for the trash can and vomited something blue and it felt like acid.  For all she knew, it was.  Penelope stood and ran to her mother with engulfing fear after watching how her friend suffered for nearly a month before dying a hopeless death.  Her mother wasted no time getting her to the hospital where the doctors immediately quarantined her and her mother.  The team of scientists and doctors who had been assigned to the abnormal case began ruining tests of every kind and collecting samples of their various fluids.

It felt like months but Penelope had only been in her white solitary room for a couple of days when a doctor came in, covered head to toe in protective gear, and said in a firm but friendly voice, “Ma'am, I have some rather difficult news to discuss with you.  I understand you’re expecting, but I highly encourage an abortion in your unique situation.  I wouldn’t normally suggest-”

“ _Abortion_??” she questioned in shock.

“Yes, I know that’s a very hard topic but I want to be upfront with you-”

“Let me be upfront with _you,_ doctor.  I’m a… a virgin…”  The room was silent as the white-suit doctor and Penelope stared at each other awkwardly until another heave of blue liquid forced its way out of the girl's stomach.

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty then! I wanted to do something different, but I'm not sure how I feel about this particular piece. I would appreciate it if you guys let me know what you thought. Feel free to comment! And, as always, thank you all so much!


End file.
